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POVERTY AND SOCIAL EXCLUSION IN LITHUANIA 2020 Lithuanian National Anti Poverty Network
POVERTY AND SOCIAL
EXCLUSION IN LITHUANIA 2020
Lithuanian National Anti Poverty Network
2
The review was carried out within the framework of the project “Development and strengthening
of the Lithuanian National Anti Poverty Network” funded by the Ministry of Social Security and
Labour of the Republic of Lithuania under the “Development of Non-Governmental Organizations
and Communities” program.
The review is also co-funded by EAPN (European Anti-Poverty Network).
3
Content
INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................................................... 4
ABOUT US ........................................................................................................................................... 4
AT-RISK-OF-POVERTY RATES IN 2019 ................................................................................................... 5
DO WE ENSURE THE SOCIAL RIGHTS OF THE POPULATION? ............................................................. 6
PRINCIPLE 1 - EDUCATION, TRAINING AND LIFELONG LEARNING ................................................... 6
PRINCIPLE 3 - EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES ............................................................................................. 9
PRINCIPLE 11 - CHILD CARE AND SUPPORT TO CHILDREN ........................................................... 12
PRINCIPLE 17 - INCLUSION OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES ........................................................... 19
PRINCIPLE 18 - LONG - TERM CARE ................................................................................................ 23
PRINCIPLE 19 - HOUSING AND ASSISTANCE FOR THE HOMELESS ............................................... 26
PRINCIPLE 20 - ACCESS TO BASIC SERVICES ................................................................................. 30
KEY CHANGES IN ATTEMPTS TO REDUCE POVERTY IN 2020 ............................................................ 33
NETWORK PROPOSALS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR REDUCING POVERTY AND SOCIAL
EXCLUSION ........................................................................................................................................... 35
KEY RECOMMENDATIONS DURING A PANDEMIC ........................................................................... 40
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INTRODUCTION
This year we are celebrating the thirtieth anniversary of the restoration of Lithuania's
independence. During this period, Lithuania has made great progress: we became full-fledged
members of the international community, the country has reoriented from a planned economy to a
market economy, and we are also members of the EU, NATO and the OECD. However, we are still
one of the poorest societies in the European Union. Poverty, inequality, and in particular inequality
of opportunity, are causing the growth of dissatisfaction not only among citizens but are also
increasingly being recognized by international organizations.
Poverty causes hardship and deprivation, has a negative impact on health and, in the long run, has
psychological consequences, limiting opportunities for both adults and children. In addition, people
living in deprivation are often stigmatized, blamed, shamed and excluded from ordinary life in
society. It is important to understand that poverty harms society as a whole - it breaks down social
solidarity and trust, results in anxiety and insecurity, wastes the potential of the poor, which
inevitably shakes the foundations of democracy.
This review will discuss the concepts of poverty and social exclusion, trends in 2019, difficulties
faced by people experiencing poverty and social exclusion, realities of life. Some of the principles
of the European Pillar of Social Rights and the gap in its implementation will also be reviewed.
Finally, insights and recommendations from members of the National Network of Poverty Reduction
Organizations, experts in the field of poverty and social exclusion will be provided.
Unless otherwise stated, data is based on information from The Lithuanian Department of
Statistics and Eurostat. The review also uses quotes from research and interviews conducted by
the National Network of Poverty Reduction Organizations.
ABOUT US
The Lithuanian National Anti Poverty Network (LNAPN), established in 2006, unites and
strengthens half a hundred non-governmental organizations who are fighting against poverty and
social exclusion.
LNAPN objectives:
• uniting Lithuanian non-governmental organizations working in the fields of poverty and social
exclusion reduction, and strengthening their institutional capacity and cooperation with national
and local authorities in Lithuania;
• participating in the processes of forming and implementing social policy.
5
AT-RISK-OF-POVERTY RATES IN 2019
At-risk-of-poverty threshold in 2019 was € 379 per month per resident and € 797 for a family of two
adults and two children under the age of 14. In 2019 about 576 thousand people in Lithuania lived
below the at-risk-of-poverty threshold. At-risk-of-poverty rate in 2019 in the country amounted
to 20.6 percent and decreased by 2.3 percentage points compared to 2018.
It is important to keep in mind that when calculating the at-risk-of-poverty rate for 2019, the income
data of 2018 is used. Therefore, the reduction of the at-risk-of-poverty rate was mainly a result of
the commencement of universal child benefit payment in 2018, increased pension and state-
supported income, and other changes in monetary support for deprived people.
The most vulnerable groups
Some social groups are more sensitive to socio-economic challenges and risks and have fewer
resources to successfully overcome them. Statistics show that the most vulnerable people in
Lithuania in terms of at-risk of poverty are children, large families, single parents raising children,
people with disabilities, old-age pensioners, single people and the unemployed.
Compared to 2018, 2019 at-risk-of-poverty rates for all groups have decreased. The largest
differences are observed among large families (a decrease of 6.7 percentage points), the
unemployed (a decrease of 7.9 percentage points) and old-age pensioners (a decrease of 6.6
percentage points).
22,9
23,9
32 3
5
41,7 46,8 50,7
62,3
20,6
22,7
25,3 3
1,3 35,1
45,4
46,3
54,4
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
Average Children (0-
17)
Large
families
People with
disabilities
Old-age
pensioners
Single
parent
households
Single
person
households
Unemployed
At-
risk-o
f-povert
y ra
te
Most vulnerable groups
2018 2019
6
DO WE ENSURE THE SOCIAL RIGHTS OF THE
POPULATION?
PRINCIPLE 1 - EDUCATION, TRAINING AND LIFELONG LEARNING
Everyone has the right to quality and inclusive education, training and life-long learning in order to
maintain and acquire skills that enable them to participate fully in society and manage successfully
transitions in the labour market.
Prepared in collaboration with the National Network of Education
Lifelong learning. Can we choose not to learn?
Lifelong learning could be described as a process that takes place at any stage of a person's life,
during which learning, development, acquisition of new competencies and development of various
personal skills take place in various forms and ways. Lifelong learning involves a wide range of
formal, non-formal learning and self-educational activities, general and vocational, in which adults
engage after completing primary education and training.
Today, Lifelong Learning (LL) is not only a human right but also a necessity that can help them to
maintain or change jobs, earn more, discover and critically evaluate information, communicate with
others and provide help. The challenges of climate change, the transition to a green and digital
economy, as well as potentially reoccurring strikes of the pandemic, require the constant updating
of general and professional competencies and skills that are necessary for the further development
of human, society and the country. Therefore, it is vital to effectively provide LL opportunities for
persons excluded from society or persons at risk of social exclusion.
Although Lithuania is a leader in the European Union in terms of people of working age (25–64
years) with at least secondary education, so far, the country has been unable to reach the level of
2008 The Lifelong Learning Strategy aim to increase the adult lifelong learning rate to 15%.
According to Eurostat data, in Lithuania in 2019, 7% of adults (25-64 years) studied during the 4
weeks before the comment of this research (EU average in 2019 – 11.3%). In the period of ten years,
this indicator increased by only 2.4 percentage points, while in Estonia the number of adult learners
has increased from 10.5 to 20.2%. The inclusion of older adults is even worse: less than 1% of 65-
year-olds in Lithuania are studying1. According to the European Commission's report2 on Lithuania,
although the role of the Ministry of Education, Science and Sports in coordinating adult learning
has been strengthened, several ministries are still responsible for funding different means. “The
1 Network of educational NGOs, Non-formal adult education in Lithuania: situation analysis and recommendations, 2019.
March 8, <http://svietimotinklas.lt/tyrimas/nvss/>.
2 European Commission. Country report on Lithuania 2020
7
adult education system is not in a position to respond to the challenges posed by the ageing society
and changes in skills related to innovation, job robotization and the potential demand for green
jobs.”
According to research, Lithuanians lack learning awareness. 2016 Lithuanian Statistics Department
data shows that 81% of respondents expressed that there is no need for further education3. People
with a lower level of education, older people and the rural population are much less likely to
participate in LL activities. The low interest of the population in learning and educational activities
is confirmed by the fact that only 5.3% of people who didn’t study wanted to study and 67 percent
did not study and did not want to study; of the training participants, only 4.6 per cent wanted to
participate further.
Inefficient lifelong learning system
The conclusion of the evaluation report4 on the quality and effectiveness of training funded by the
European Social Fund states that vocational training for the unemployed, social skills training and
public training on non-discrimination, social responsibility or social dialogue are inappropriate,
inefficiently targeted, and ineffective for various reasons. The causes of problems experienced by
the unemployed or other vulnerable groups are usually complex (e.g. lack of social and other skills
is only one of many reasons for the exclusion of vulnerable groups) and training cannot be seen as
a universal tool to address the complex problems of vulnerable people.
According to the report, training is not always the only appropriate way to address emerging
challenges, it must be combined with other alternative or complementary activities. However,
individual needs are usually not assessed and instead the person is directed to formal vocational
training, which does not necessarily correspond to the person's real employability and ability to
work in the field.
Implementation of non-formal adult education policy
With the rapid development of technology, the constant rise of new qualification requirements in
the labour market and the shift of public services and communication to virtual platforms, the
importance of non-formal adult education is increasing, allowing for the rapid and flexible
acquisition or development of skills.
Non-formal adult education (NAE) can be defined as an organized process involving people of all
ages, responding to the various interests of society and the individual. During it, in accordance with
3 Reasons that hinder learning in formal or non-formal education. Data from the Official Statistics Portal of Statistics
Lithuania https://osp.stat.gov.lt/statistiniu-rodikliu-analize?indicator=S3R404#/
4 Evaluation of the quality and effectiveness of training financed by the European Social Fund, final report. 2019 January 10
version Vilnius, UAB Visionary Analytics https://www.visionary.lt/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/galutine-ataskaita0110.pdf
8
various curricula, adults learn the basics of literacy, life, work skills, general culture, and develop
personal skills according to their needs.
In Lithuania's political agenda, non-formal adult education receives little systematic attention,
therefore the formation and implementation of this system is inconsistent, often done only as a
formal response to the general principles of non-formal adult education development by European
institutions or to “assimilate” European Union structural funds.
Access to non-formal adult education for different population groups in various regions is different
and uneven, as no guarantees are defined for funding and coordination of program implementation.
As a result, NAE is dependent on the political national, cities and regional municipalities decisions,
that are related to the funding and implementation of NAE programs, the diversity of NAE service
providers and offers that meet the different learning needs of adult groups.
In some municipalities, the financing of the planned NAE activities is not ensured, the
implementation of the NAE is chaotic, fragmented and instantaneous, the research of adult learning
needs is not carried out during the implementation of EU-funded NAE projects that are looked
down by ministries. In individual city municipalities, the aim is to improve the accessibility of NAE
services for population groups through various service providers in the region - third-age
universities, public organizations and clubs, professional academies and associations, NAE,
educational centers, libraries, etc.
“Vocational training may be offered, but it is not necessarily possible to find a job after that.”
“Only technical training is usually offered: plasterers, plasterers, mason workers...”
“Employees of the Employment Service say they have nothing to offer and just leave it to fate.”
People experiencing poverty
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PRINCIPLE 3 - EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES
Regardless of gender, racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation,
everyone has the right to equal treatment and opportunities regarding employment, social
protection, education, and access to goods and services available to the public. Equal opportunities
of under-represented groups shall be fostered.
Limited access to social services violates the principle of equal opportunities
Social services - services that provide assistance to a person (family) who, due to age, disability,
social problems partially or fully have lost the ability or opportunities to independently take care of
personal (family) life and participate in public life. 5
Social services are an extremely important part of reducing poverty and social exclusion. Their goal
is to empower the person by helping him/her solve problems and challenges on his or her own, and
to ensure human dignity. For example, by providing social care and other services for people with
disabilities or seniors, other family members can work and thus not only ensure an adequate family
income but also maintain social ties, have time to take a break from caring for loved ones. In this
way, other rights of people with disabilities and their relatives are guaranteed: the right to
education, work, leisure, etc. Another example is services for the long-term unemployed, who
eventually lose not only professional skills, but also social skills, self-confidence and motivation.
Therefore, they need individual social services, including vocational counselling, psychological
support, general skills development, job retention assistance and a range of other services that
meet individual needs.
Despite the growing importance of social services, there are many problems in the field of social
services. In 2020 report to Lithuania, the European Commission notes that the risk of social
exclusion is exacerbated by limited access to public services. There is an increasing focus on the
poor quality of services and the limited availability of such services in the country. Due to the severe
lack of services, individuals have to wait in long queues, sometimes for longer than half a year, to
get access to the services they need.
There are many problems in the social services system: gaps in the regulation of social services,
lack of specialists, underdeveloped network of institutions, especially in the regions, lack of
information dissemination, fragmentation of municipal services planning and needs assessment,
lack of inter-institutional cooperation. In this review, we will discuss the key regulatory gaps in
social services.
5 https://socmin.lrv.lt/lt/veiklos-sritys/socialine-integracija/socialines-paslaugos-ir-socialinis-darbas/kas-yra-socialines-
paslaugos
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Gaps in the regulation of social services in Lithuania
In Lithuania, the main document ensuring the management, appointment and provision of social
services is the Law on Social Services. Meanwhile, the content and types of social services and
types of social service institutions are defined by the Directory of Social Services adopted in 2006.
Municipalities and social service providers must follow this when planning their services. Although
the current directory is constantly being supplemented with new services, it does not correspond
to the realities of providing social services today, it becomes confusing and eclectic, and most
importantly, it does not meet the needs of the population and restricts the accessibility of services.
First, the directory of social services provides a list of social services. Some of the provided are
defined very narrowly. According to the directory, service providers - budgetary, municipal
institutions or non-governmental organizations - cannot always meet the needs of the population,
because often the services they need are simply not in the directory. In addition, it hinders the
possibility of the emergence of innovation in the field of services, as those services that are not in
the directory are usually simply not funded. As a result, organizations often do not provide new
services, or they do so for free.
The accessibility of services is also severely limited by the exhaustive lists of target groups
indicated for each service listed in the directory. Therefore, services can be provided only to those
persons who, according to their social status, are among the specified target groups.
In reality, however, this means discrimination and a breach of the principle of equal
opportunities. Very often, individuals are unable to access services simply because they are
not among the identified potential recipients of the service, despite having certain needs. For
example, the directory of social services includes the service “work with youth in the streets”, so
the target group of the service would be young people who have fewer opportunities. In this case,
the specified target group restricts the possibilities of providing services to people in the streets
that belong to other age groups, for example, homeless adults, despite there being a high demand
for this service.
The directory of social services also provides potential providers for each service, which again limits
and prevents the emergence of new providers. This way, the conditions aren’t being provided for
the expansion of the network of service providers and for the increase of the availability of services
throughout the country.
Thus, the existing practice of regulating social services in Lithuania is not aimed at the individual
needs of the population, as required by international standards. Instead, the provision of services
is extremely inflexible, limited to an exhaustive list of services, pre-defined groups of recipients in
duration, providers. At the same time, the principle of equal opportunities is being violated - some
people do not have access to the services they need. In the long run, this has severe consequences
– human rights are being violated, we are falling behind in terms of international trends in services
and the issues of poverty and social exclusion are essentially not being resolved.
11
“The service of a personal assistant is provided from the age of 18 until the age of 65. After that
you have to pay for it.”
Personal assistant
“My friend wanted to accommodate her mother in a retirement home. She learned about this
possibility from her friend. When she went to the municipality to ask for more information, the
employee asked "and how did you find out that this could be done?".”
“People are active, they want to get services, but employees [municipalities] say there are too
few people so the service cannot be provided.”
People experiencing poverty
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PRINCIPLE 11 - CHILD CARE AND SUPPORT TO CHILDREN
Children have the right to affordable early childhood education and care of good quality.
Children have the right to protection from poverty. Children from disadvantaged backgrounds have
the right to specific measures to enhance equal opportunities.
The lack of services for children and young people pushes them into a deeper exclusion
Child poverty and social exclusion are one of the most painful phenomena. Research reveals that
child poverty has a negative impact on a child’s development, often being closely linked to
malnutrition and poorer health. The achievements of children growing up in poor families are also
significantly lower than those of children from more affluent families. The consequences of
deprivation are also felt once they grow up, especially in terms of employment opportunities and
income. Social disadvantage is often passed down from generation to generation. Thus, investing
in prevention, which must begin in early childhood, is a key element of any poverty reduction
strategy.
It is important to note that children of different ages face different challenges, so it makes sense
to differentiate between age groups: children under 12 years old and older. In this section, we will
focus on social services with a focus on helping children and young people experiencing poverty or
social exclusion.
In order to find out what challenges organizations that provide services to children face, in 2020
July- August, LNAPN conducted a survey in non-governmental children's day care centers
(CDCC). 63 respondents took part in the survey. 62 percent of these operates in the urban area,
33 percent. - rural, and 5 percent. - in urban and rural areas. The survey consisted of three blocks
of questions: what challenges children and low-income families face, what problems does the
CDCC notice in the area of children and family policy, and how their work has been altered by the
period of quarantine.
Challenges for children and families
The main challenges for children and families identified by workers in children day care centers
were: lack of parental skills, poverty and deprivation. The lack of parental and social skills was
mentioned by as many as 94% of respondents. Unfortunately, social “elevators” do not work in
Lithuania: the employees of the organizations notice that the parents often grew up in an
unfavorable social environment and did not have a role model or appropriate help in the family.
Parents are often unable to build a relationship with their children, communicate only minimally,
and do not care about their emotional state, hygiene, occupation. CDCC staff notices that this is
often related to unidentified mental disorders. Often there is physical or psychological violence.
13
Nearly half of the organizations singled out addiction problems that are noticed not only among
adults but also among children.
Poverty and deprivation in families were mentioned by 65% organizations surveyed. Employees
note that families are often unable to afford not just computers, phones, learning tools, but they
sometimes run out of funds even for food. Nearly a third of organizations noted that children face
bullying, especially if they are growing up in deprivation or belong to ethnic minority groups.
Gaps in children and family policy in Lithuania
Families facing poverty and social exclusion are in affective critical need of a social security system.
However, children’s day care centers point out a number of problems in the area of children and
family policy. The main problems are related to adequate housing accessibility and the lack of
social and transport services. 56 percent of organizations noted that families often live in
inadequate, overcrowded housing: they often share a room with several siblings, often with parents
and grandparents.
51 percent of respondents noted that one of the main problems is the under-development of social
services. The staff of the children's day care centers emphasize that the services that are lacking
the most are the services of a psychologist, good-quality occupation and specialized assistance
during and after school. More attention should be paid to children with special needs: there is a
lack of speech therapists, special educators. Also, the limited funding of the CDCC does not provide
opportunities to fund enough professionals who could provide more intensive and personalized
services to children and families (e.g., a psychologist).
CDCC staff notes that there is a lack of interdepartmental cooperation in the provision of services
(48%): both between educational and social service institutions, and between service organizers -
municipalities - and service providers. Families experiencing difficulty also sometimes lack
information on what services they are eligible for or where to request them, and the relevant
authorities do not always point them in the right direction. Among other things, the lack of services
for families is closely linked to the challenges of balancing family and work, with 48% respondents
pointing this out as one of the main problems.
It is also a matter of concern that children who end up attending children's day care centers often
do not have access to services appropriate to their age group, such as access to youth centers,
open youth spaces, and so on. (incl. see “Youth facing the street situation”). This problem is
especially relevant in the regions - almost half of the representatives of CDCC working in rural
areas noted that there is a lack of services for young people and the end of CDCC for them is the
end of occupation and other social services.
Organizations also cite a lack of transport services (49%), especially in rural areas. Lack of transport
and unavailability of transport services are often associated with parental unemployment. It also
limits the availability of social and educational services for children: for this reason, some children
do not attend pre-school education institutions and do not have the opportunity to attend non-
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formal education activities. Poor transport connections make families even more socially excluded
and deprive children of their rights and access to services. Other problems identified by staff: lack
of computers and / or internet connection, lack of access to housing, lack of after-school education,
low quality of education, insufficient financial support.
The consequences of COVID-19 and challenges experienced by organizations during the
quarantine
The pandemic has undoubtedly had a negative impact on families. 57 percent of organizations
have noted a decline in family incomes due to the Covid-19 pandemic. 38 percent of
organizations noted that a percentage of parents lost their jobs, and due to the reduced income in
the families as well as the closure of schools and children's day care centers, the children lacked
food (48%).
54 percent of organizations noted that children were not provided with access to distance learning,
especially due to the lack of technical means (computers, internet). Families living in cramped
housing also experienced difficulties when children did not have suitable spaces to participate in
the teaching process. Often children were unable to connect to distance learning platforms on their
own, and parents were unable to help them due to a lack of computer literacy. All of this made the
learning process more difficult and children growing up in disadvantaged environments faced even
greater barriers. Gaps formed during the quarantine may emerge in the future.
49 percent. half of the respondents also note that one of the main challenges was social isolation.
Families lacked privacy, lacked personal space and time to take a break. There emerged some
friction among family members, conflicts appeared as well as unconstructive solutions to them. 51
percent noted worsened emotional and psychological state in families. Signs of depression,
desire to withdraw from everything, apathy, increased risk of addictions have been observed more
and more often.
The staff of children's day care centers note that the organizations themselves faced significant
challenges in ensuring the continuity of services: methodological assistance and protection
measures were lacking. It was extremely difficult to provide services remotely due to the lack of
technical possibilities, uncertainty about the future, lack of knowledge and experience. Due to the
increase in the abundance of problems, the changed nature of work, the workload of employees
has significantly increased, and the need for the services of a psychologist has increased, what is
still being felt today.
The work of most organizations during quarantine has changed significantly. In the event of food
shortages, organizations began to deliver food rations, medications, and other support, remotely
counselled children and even parents about homework, and prepared additional assignments. They
provided psychological assistance, organized household, hygiene and safety product supplies and
computer supplies.
15
In terms of co-operation with municipalities during quarantine, the experience of organizations
differed, but most rated it positively: there was a more active focus on non-governmental
organizations, municipalities were proactive in providing social services, and inter-agency co-
operation was strengthened. Unfortunately, there were municipalities where cooperation was
sluggish.
“Children’s learning was very affected [during the pandemic]. I couldn’t buy a tablet for everyone,
they had phones. It was said that they [schools] will give the tablets, but it did not happen. The
school allocated them, but they had to be returned.”
“I would go to work, but we do not have a kindergarten in our area. We cannot enter the
kindergarten in the city because our place of residence is not declared in the city. It also means
that the transport service can’t be provided. So, there’s a kindergarten, but my children can’t
really attend.”
Woman experiencing poverty
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Young people facing the street situation
Prepared in cooperation with Vilnius Social Club
In Lithuania, young people remain one of the most vulnerable groups in society, to which
insufficient attention is paid. Young people face serious challenges in the education system, in the
labour market, and social services tailored to their needs do not exist or are not accessible. Some
of these young people can be met on the streets or in public spaces.
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child proposes to abandon the term “street
children/youth” and replace it with the less stigmatizing term “children/young people facing the
street situation”, which more accurately reflects this phenomenon of life. This term describes
everyone, children and young people, who: periodically or always live and/or work on the street
alone with peers or with their family. So is everyone who does not live or work on the street but has
a strong connection to public spaces and for whom the street plays a vital role in their daily lives
and identities. The “presence in public spaces” of children and young people is understood as
spending time in streets, public parks, public community spaces, squares and bus and train
stations.
One of the main factors why young people experience a street situation is poverty, but other factors
are no less important:
• difficulties in the family: loss, addiction, various forms of violence, the experience of
rejection for so-called “moral” reasons;
• pressure to engage in criminal activities;
• mental health problems;
• young people's addictions;
• urbanization processes.
There is a general agreement that young people in a street situation are not a homogeneous group.
This means that they find themselves in a street situation for different reasons and have different
needs. On the street we can meet groups of young people who spend time there because they have
no other spaces to meet their peers, young people who have fled their homes, young people
experiencing violence and violations of children's rights, young people in subcultures, young people
that belong to national minorities, young single mothers, young survivors of homelessness, etc.
The lack of youth policy in Lithuania
Youth policy in Lithuania is problematic in its horizontal nature; The challenges and problems of
young people are addressed by many ministries - social, educational, cultural, health, national
defense, but it remains unclear who takes full responsibility for the specific problems of young
people's lives, such as the development and adaptation of services to young people's needs.
17
Another important problem is that after the centralization of the child rights system,
interdepartmental and inter-institutional cooperation meetings on the basis of elderships have
disappeared. Interdepartmental and inter-institutional cooperation must be implemented not only
in the case management process when a particular child or young person is going through a period
of crisis, but also regularly when different parties consult, coordinate and monitor the overall
situation in a specific area.
In Lithuania, special attention should be paid to the following problems faced by young people in a
street situation:
Young people experiencing homelessness. The usual services provided by hostels are not
suitable for this age group, as the emotional and physical safety of a young person isn’t ensured
there. Young people avoid places with a bad reputation, do not identify themselves with people
with long experience of homelessness, so they prefer to seek shelter with friends and
acquaintances, thus often migrating from one place to another. In Lithuania, young people
experiencing homelessness are mostly children raised in the care system. In Lithuania, it is
necessary to follow the “housing first” approach when creating non-existent specialized services
for young people in a homelessness situation.
A safe environment and the right to public space are natural human rights, therefore one of the
main problems in Lithuania is the lack of infrastructure for youth. It is extremely important for
young people living in poverty to have an environment where they could socialize with their peers
and feel safe. Open sports courts and stadiums that are open to everyone 24 hours a day, 7 days a
week are a good practice. It is obligatory to stop the tendency that is prevailing in Lithuania, when
the spaces for sports, which are mostly located near schools, are renovated and illuminated, but
the access is then restricted with fences and / or locks. The concentration of youth-friendly spaces
(skateboard parks, open youth spaces and centers, etc.) in urban or district centers, bypassing
neighborhoods and rural areas, is also worrying.
Another problem is the education system, which does not respond to the needs of young people
who experience difficulties. The education system is still unable to build a strong relationship with
a young person who is experiencing difficulties in his life – has behavioral, emotional or mental
health difficulties, experiences social difficulties in the family or among peers. In vocational
education institutions and public schools, work imitation when working with young people in
difficulty remains a common phenomenon, as they remain solely for "pupil’s basket". For young
people in a street situation, quality vocational training is more of an exception rather than being
real, affordable option.
Identification and resolution of youth problems. In Lithuania, the problems faced by young
people remain underestimated or understood as insignificant. The state still does not have a well-
developed service for young people (open youth centers, open youth spaces, work with street youth,
mobile work with youth), municipal funding is insufficient to ensure quality services, and young
people are not involved to participate in the addressal of specific issues in local communities.
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Covid-19 quarantine and key challenges faced by organizations
The main problem for young people was the distance learning system. Young people in a street
situation who had a conflicting or fragmented relationship with their school even before the
quarantine distanced themselves even further away from learning during the quarantine. Other
young people lacked a suitable environment, means to qualitatively complete tasks (Internet,
computer), and the help of a tutor.
Fines were imposed on young people for clustering in public places. Often young people who find
themselves in a street situation see the street as a safe space and their survival strategy. Fining
young people for flocking to public spaces poses further exclusion and financial problems. It is the
duty of the state to try to protect and help such young people, not to punish them.
The availability of information about the threats of the pandemic was also problematic. Young
people were often unaware of the new rules or the need to wear masks and use disinfectants. A
large proportion of young people in the street situation have been and continue to be affected by
conspiracy theories. The organizations sought to help and reach these groups of young people
through direct communication and the provision of necessary information and measures.
Lack of food was another major problem that CDCC was trying to address - ensuring food rations
for each family member as needed.
“Maybe it’s possible to open [the stadium] if we would ask nicely? It was great to spend the time
in the stadium. Now we spend time by the swings. But sometimes parents come with little
children and send us away"
12-year-old
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PRINCIPLE 17 - INCLUSION OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES
People with disabilities have the right to income support that ensures living in dignity, services that
enable them to participate in the labour market and in society, and a work environment adapted to
their needs.
Prepared in cooperation with the Forum of Lithuanian Disability Organizations
The challenges of the inclusion of people with disabilities
People with disabilities are one of the most vulnerable groups in Lithuania. In 2019 The at-risk-of-
poverty rate for people with disabilities was 31.3%. Meanwhile, people without disabilities - 15.2
percent.
In order to find out what challenges people with disabilities are facing in 2020, in July-August,
LNAPN together with the Lithuanian Disability Organizations Forum (LDOF) conducted a survey of
organizations providing services to people with disabilities. The survey involved 49 organizations
that operate throughout Lithuania: 55 percent of them work in the urban area, 12 percent -rural,
and 33 percent. - both urban and rural. The organizations participating in the survey work with
various disability groups: physical, intellectual, psychosocial, visual, auditory and complex. Most,
i.e. two-thirds of the organizations surveyed work with adults with disabilities. The survey consisted
of three blocks of questions: what challenges do people with disabilities and their families face,
what problems do people with disabilities organizations see in the field of disability policy, and how
has their work been changed by the quarantine period.
Challenges faced by people with disabilities and their relatives
Respondents identify the challenges faced by people with disabilities. A survey in organizations
confirm statistics: one of the most frequently mentioned problem is the financial deprivation
of disabled people and their families. Due to unsuited jobs, lack of services in helping find
employment, discrimination at work and in the education system, people with disabilities face
significant challenges in the labour market. Unemployment is high, and in many cases, it is only
possible to find employment in unskilled, low-paid jobs. In addition, the lack of services often
reduces the income of family members of people with disabilities, mostly mothers. When they take
care of their loved ones, they often drop out of the labour market or choose more flexible but often
less paid forms of work. It is important to mention that the financial costs for people with disabilities
are often higher than usual due to their need for medicines, technical equipment, services, etc.
These expenses sometimes exceed the real family income, and some families have debts.
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Social exclusion faced by both people with disabilities and their families. Without an adapted
environment and without access to the necessary services, people lack not just real opportunities
to participate in the labour market or education, but also in social life: social ties are broken, people
experience loneliness, mental health deteriorates. No social or other general skills are being
developed. People with disabilities, especially children, face bullying. At the same time, self-
confidence decreases, feelings of inferiority rise, and in the long run, the motivation to return to
both the labour market and social life decreases.
The gaps in the policy of working with disabled people
In terms of state aid, social services and adequate financial support are lacking the most: 57% of
organizations mentioned that one of the biggest problems is underdeveloped social services, 53
per cent. organizations singled out inadequate financial support. There is a great lack of personal
assistant services, which would help people with disabilities to become more independent in their
daily lives and thus open the door to the labour market for some people with disabilities or their
families, provide better social life opportunities.
Children with disabilities lack occupation during the day, while people with disabilities and their
relatives lack the services of a psychologist and time to relax. Organizations also emphasize that
services that develop occupational and employment skills aren’t ensured for people with
disabilities. Some of the currently organized services include only cultural and entertainment
activities. While these services are also very important, it is important to further develop services
that promote integration into the labour market. These services should include the development
of specific work skills as well as general competencies, recruitment mediation, accompanying
employment assistance, motivation support, etc. Among other things, there is a significant shortage
of social workers and other professionals who speak sign language.
In the field of education, there is a concern about the lack of inclusive education: not all schools
are ready to accept children with disabilities. There is a lack of specialists who are able to respond
to special needs, there is a great shortage of teaching assistants, speech therapists and sign
language teachers. Tasks at school are also not always adapted for children with disabilities. The
adult education system for people with disabilities also highlights unattractive specialities or skill-
building programs that are later difficult to put into practice.
53 percent of respondents noted that there is still a significant lack of adaptation of the physical
environment. This limits employment opportunities, participation in education, cultural activities,
complicates everyday life, and often limits access to social or even health services. The lack of
transport services and the unsuitability of public transport were highlighted (51%).
Attention should be paid to the adaptation of the information environment (41%). These challenges
are most often seen by organizations working with people with visual, hearing, or intellectual
disabilities. With the increasing shift of information and services to the Internet, it is more difficult
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for people with disabilities to find relevant information, get the help they need or even register with
a doctor. There is a growing need for information and computer literacy services.
Inaccessible health care services were also highlighted (45% of respondents), for example, it is
difficult to obtain the necessary rehabilitation procedures, some health care institutions are
wheelchair inaccessible, there is a lack of specialists who know the specifics of disability and lack
of adapted medical equipment. Lack of compensatory technical measures (41%), lack of adapted
housing (35%), lack of computers and internet connection (22%) are also mentioned.
Consequences of COVID-19
Covid-19 has significantly worsened the daily lives of people with disabilities and their relatives.
Some organizations note that the pandemic has brought new challenges and heightened existing
problems: often deteriorating psychological conditions are noticed, as well as worse access to
health services (especially for people with disabilities), social isolation and the challenges of
balancing family and work.
82 percent of respondents noted that one of the main challenges during quarantine was social
isolation, and 84 percent - worsened emotional and psychological condition of people with
disabilities. Very often, people with disabilities experience loneliness and social exclusion, and
they become even more vulnerable during the quarantine. For many individuals, the usual social
services have been interrupted. The challenges caused by service restriction were highlighted by
47% of organizations. Due to the high risk of developing Covid-19, people with disabilities could not
go to work, had to limit contact with relatives. Restrictions on the provision of services have placed
an additional burden, including psychological one, on the relatives of people with disabilities.
People with mental or mental disabilities were even more emotionally and psychologically
vulnerable during the quarantine.
Organizations also highlighted challenges related to the restriction of medical services, which had
a significant impact on the health status of people with disabilities. People could not get the health
services they needed, some suffered increased pain. Often, telephone consultations with
physicians were not effective.
Among other things, due to the lack of opportunities to participate in the labour market and,
in the case of family members, caring for relatives with disabilities, the income of some
families decreased (53%). Food shortages were also felt (22%).
During the pandemic, services and information moved rapidly into the Internet, but several
organizations mentioned lack of resources and poor IT literacy of some people with disabilities,
which deprived the group of the opportunity to communicate or access services remotely during
the pandemic.
The organizations themselves faced challenges during the quarantine. The main emphasis is on
the lack of measures for protection. Some organizations point out that there was a lack of outlets
to purchase them, others point out that there was a lack of funds. The lack of methodological
22
assistance is also highlighted. Many organizations have been forced to change the nature of their
activities during the quarantine. Providing services remotely was challenging when customers did
not have either a telephone or the Internet. Workloads increased significantly, employees worked
overtime: the volume of psychological assistance, emotional support, information about the
situation in the context of the pandemic, additional food and necessary medicines increased. Only
a small number of organizations temporarily suspended their services.
A large part of the interviewed organizations assessed the cooperation with the municipality during
the quarantine as negative: there was a lack of communication and cooperation. In most cases,
assistance was limited, there was a lack of funding for the increased demand for services, and
measures for protection were not provided. Another part of the organizations stated that the
cooperation with the municipality had not changed or even strengthened, they planned and worked
together.
“The municipality receives the lift but their financing is very limited and they only offer the
cheapest option.”
“I have a disability, everyone thinks that everyone is waiting for us with outstretched arms, but
this is not the case.”
People with disabilities
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PRINCIPLE 18 - LONG - TERM CARE
Everyone has the right to affordable long-term care services of good quality, in particular home-
care and community-based services
Prepared in the context of cooperation between the Home help service and the Order of Malta
Relief Organization
Growing demand for long - term care services
Long-term care services could be described as a balance between nursing and social services as
a whole. In providing these services, the person is given permanent comprehensive specialist
assistance and care in the person's home or care institution. The goal of long-term care is to
facilitate a person to live independently and wholesomely in the community and at home for as long
as possible, to ensure the planning and provision of appropriate nursing and social services in order
to prevent exacerbation of disease or progression of existing symptoms, taking into account family
needs and opportunities.
The need for long-term care services is gradually growing. According to the data of the Lithuanian
Department of Statistics, at the beginning of 2020, more than 500 thousand people who lived in
Lithuania were 65 and older. That’s almost 20 percent of the entire population of Lithuania. Seniors
living in regions, especially small villages or single farms, face not only the lack of access to social
services. It is difficult for them to ensure access to vital services. The income of such seniors is
usually low, and the nearest store or medical facility can only be reached with the help of private
carriers, which is also pretty expensive.
As society ages, the need for social and health services increases in a person’s area of residence,
which is still not being met in a way that allows a person to live in dignity until the last moment of
life. The nature of the disability, the person’s marital and financial situation, and the health situation
are closely related to the needs of social services. Due to their limited independence, it is usually
difficult for these people to deal with various household, health, education, employment issues and
to participate in public life. Although the at-risk-of-poverty rate for retirees has decreased this year
compared to last year, this age group is still at the highest risk of poverty. In 2018 the average old-
age pension (EUR 311.5) was significantly below the at-risk-of-poverty threshold (EUR 379). This
shows that pensions in Lithuania are far too low to allow living in dignity. Expenditures on medicine,
utilities, heating, food and other goods often exceed monthly income.
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A growing need for personal assistance in the immediate environment
It is important to emphasize that the majority of seniors want to live in their home for as long as
possible, regardless of their state of health, therefore they are often determined to be cared for by
relatives and family members. Not surprisingly, as society ages, the need for personal assistance
in the immediate environment increases. Integrated help services are one of the options that are
available. These services consist of two parts: day care in the person’s home and nursing in the
person’s home. It is important that the purpose of integrated assistance is to create conditions for
a person to live at his home and stay in the community for as long as possible, to ensure proper
planning and provision of social care and nursing services, to strengthen a person's abilities and
independence, to maintain social relations with family members and community. Unfortunately, the
needs of state-provided integrated assistance service, as well as other services for seniors, are not
being met, so the families have to wait in line for services. The experience of LNAPN members
shows that individuals have to wait for 6-8 months, and sometimes even more.
As the current network of services does not fully meet the needs of older people, relatives and
family members are forced to find their own solutions. Often, one of the alternatives is to look for
private social service organizations, that, unfortunately, are usually only located in big cities.
Otherwise, the relatives themselves take care of the seniors and withdraw from the labour market.
In this case, new problems develop: the total family income decreases, social ties are broken in the
long run, long-term unemployment occurs, and with it a number of other social challenges.
Challenges faced in the context of long - term care services
It is important to pay attention to the fact that the main goal of long-term care is to allow a person
to live in his house as long as possible. However, in addition to the challenges already mentioned,
the following issues remain:
Inconsistency of services - social services are congested in big cities or larger towns, and older
people who live in remote areas are unable to access services due to distance. One of the most
frequently mentioned problems faced by recipients of social services is the lack of transportation
and integrated assistance.
Inaccessibility of services - the main (and often the only) providers of home services are
municipalities, budgetary institutions, which are not always able to respond flexibly and promptly
to the need for new services. Often individuals have to wait for services for several months before
being able to choose another service provider. Due to gaps in the planning and financing of social
services for the non-governmental sector it is difficult to get involved in the service delivery
mechanism, so services are monopolized and concentrated in the hands of municipalities and
budgetary institutions. As a result, the quality of services is affected, and the development of the
service network is prevented.
Lack of a holistic social and health system - social and health care services are closely
interrelated, however, the Ministry of Social Security and Labour of the Republic of Lithuania and
25
the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Lithuania, which supervises them, often do not coordinate
the regulation of services. This leads to non-coordinated legislations on the provision of services,
that do not complement and sometimes contradict each other. For example, there is still no
agreement on who should change diapers: either an individual care professional who is a social
worker or a nurse's assistant who is a health worker.
Difficulty in obtaining outpatient care license. Home care services are licensed personal health
care services provided in a person’s home. The main goal is to meet the patient's nursing needs at
home and to promote self-care. These services can only be provided by institutions that have a
personal health care license for outpatient care services at home, unfortunately, the licensing
procedure is unreasonably complicated. For example, an institution wishing to start providing care
at a person's home must have facilities for staff in medical, residential (for various social groups)
or hotel buildings, although care will only be provided in patients' homes. It is such requirements
that make it extremely difficult to obtain an outpatient care license and limit the availability of
services.
Dependence of funding on structural projects. A large part of long-term care services currently
provided is currently funded by the EU Structural Funds, but such funding models are not
sustainable and there is a risk that the cessation of these services will also lead to the cessation
of these services.
“I planned to go abroad, but I gave up and chose my mother. I have buried my mother now. My
friends turned away. I am left alone with my troubles and problems.”
Woman experiencing poverty
“Thank God you came. We thought we would not get any services. We filled in the documents 7
months ago.”
Person who received long-term services
I don’t understand anything. No one explains either where to turn or what to ask. How should I
know it? But when you just explained it, I understand.
Woman who’s relative received long-term services
People wait a long time for services if they are integrated services. We have cases when they
pass away while waiting for these services.
NGO employee
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PRINCIPLE 19 - HOUSING AND ASSISTANCE FOR THE HOMELESS
a. Access to social housing or housing assistance of good quality shall be provided for those in
need.
b. Vulnerable people have the right to appropriate assistance and protection against forced
eviction.
c. Adequate shelter and services shall be provided to the homeless in order to promote their social
inclusion.
Prepared in cooperation with the Caritas Temporary House of the Vilnius Archdiocese
Homelessness is a growing problem in Lithuania and the European Union
The problem of homelessness, despite the improving indicators of poverty in the European Union
and Lithuania, is not decreasing but is growing. Homelessness has been rising steadily in the 24
Member States of the European Union over the last decade. According to research, it is estimated
that at least 700,000 people in the EU experience homelessness every day, i.e. 70% more than a
decade ago (www.feantsa.org).
The definition of homelessness in the European Union can vary, making it difficult to compare
homelessness statistics between countries. In Lithuania, homelessness is defined rather narrowly,
i.e. associated only with living in temporary accommodation. The methodology6 of the 2021
Population and Housing Census of the Republic of Lithuania defines a homeless person as a person
who does not have a permanent place of residence and funds (does not work) to rent or buy at
least minimal housing space and whose place of residence is a hostel or social service unit that
provides temporary accommodation services. Therefore, some people living outdoors, in non-
residential buildings, etc., are not included in the homelessness data.
In Lithuania, the number of homeless persons using the services of temporary residence
institutions, from 2010 to 2018 increased by about 40 percent. The number of homeless persons
who received accommodation services in a hostel in 2018 increased up to 3007 persons, compared
to 2017 - 2494 persons. According to the data from 2010 of the Statistical Yearbook of Lithuania,
2142 people lived in the hostel during that year. The number of people receiving services in crisis
centres for mothers with children is also growing - from 1,530 persons in 2017 to 1,799 individuals
in 2018.
6 Methodology of the General Population and Housing Census of the Republic of Lithuania in 2021.
https://osp.stat.gov.lt/documents/10180/4432752/Gyv_surasymo_metodika_2020.pdf
27
The growing number of homeless people in the context of a booming economy shows that social
exclusion remains a major challenge and that measures don’t reach the most vulnerable and those
living in extreme poverty, and that social protection rights are not being effectively enforced.
Housing and support in the event of homelessness is a human right
The individual's right to housing is one of the fundamental social and economic rights of the
individual. The European Pillar of Social Rights obliges EU member states, including Lithuania, to
ensure the right to housing and support for the homeless. In accordance with United Nations 11.1
Goal of sustainable development, Lithuania is committed to ensuring that by 2030, everyone has
access to adequate, safe and affordable housing and basic services.
Under the aforementioned European Pillar of Social Rights, those most in need are entitled to
quality social housing or housing assistance, but the situation regarding access to housing for
vulnerable groups is improving very slowly. According to the data, in 2015 the funding allocated by
Lithuania for the provision of housing to the socially vulnerable population was one of the lowest
in the European Union8, and the number of people in line has hardly decreased in the last 4 years.
In 2019 in the queue for social housing, 10993 persons (families) were waiting. Comparing the
situation with 2018. it even worsened slightly, with 10,486 households waiting for housing support
that year.7
The aim is to improve the situation through alternative measures to social housing, such as
compensation for part of the rent for housing, which has been in force since 2015, but they are not
as effective as expected or originally planned. The situation seems particularly difficult in the case
of a one-person household, as is often the case with homeless people living in temporary
accommodation. In terms of household composition, the at-risk-of-poverty rate is highest among
single-person households. Their at-risk-of-poverty rate is 46.3%, and the current support through
social benefits has little significance for their situation - without social benefits, the at-risk-of-
poverty rate for this group would increase by only 2.4 percentage points. Housing rent
compensation is least effective in the case of one person (a person without a family). Due to
relatively low rent compensation, their share of rent compensation was the lowest (19.4%),
compared to 41% for three-person families and 66% for 8-person families. Also, social housing is
more difficult for one-person households to access - single persons (general list) in 2019 accounted
for about 50% of all those waiting for social housing. They may have to wait 20 years or more for
social housing.
7 SADM, 2018 https://socmin.lrv.lt/uploads/socmin/documents/files/veiklos-sritys/socialine-integracija/bustas/1_2018-
07-01%20About%20laukian%C4%8Dius%20paramos%20b% C5% ABstui% 20i% C5% A1sinuomoti.pdf
28
It is necessary to provide social services for the homeless
Rental properties for people in poverty and homelessness are not easily accessible in the market.
The European Pillar of Social Rights states that the promotion of social inclusion includes adequate
shelter and services. Thus, adequate and dignified accommodation services must go hand in hand
with other support that a person needs. This is a vital principle that seeks to enable people to reach
their potential and to tackle homelessness in a real way.
In Lithuania, there is a lack of systematic, coordinated operation of the service system that aims to
actually reduce the number of homeless people and thus solve the problem of homelessness.
Currently, the homelessness situation is more manageable than resolved, i.e. the aim of the current
system is to meet the basic needs of homeless people, to feed and give them a bed to sleep in, but
there is no clear aim for these people to become ‘not-homeless’. A social assistance system for a
homeless person cannot rely solely on general social services if it aims to reduce the problem of
homelessness in real terms and not just to manage it. And existing special services targeted at the
homeless are ineffective to solve the problem or inaccessible to people with complex needs such
as addictions, mental illness and so on. Social services that do not respond to existing needs, a
lack of access to them, insufficient provision of affordable, high-quality housing and discrimination
are all major obstacles to the social inclusion of the homeless.
Consequences of Covid-19
Lack of access to services and systematic lack of concern for those in homelessness was also felt
during the Covid-19 quarantine. In many countries of the European Union, additional temporary
shelters have been created to take care of people in homelessness, bans on evictions have come
into force, and so on. All this was done in order to ensure that no one was forced to live on the
street, but also to prevent the spread of the virus in institutions where people were housed very
densely, such as in temporary accommodation places.
In Lithuania, there was an impression that people living on the streets or newly homeless people
were completely forgotten, and all responsibility was shifted to the institutions providing services.
It was limited to recommendations to the institutions on how they should ensure that the people
living there did not become infected and spread the virus, which resulted in institutions tightening
up their internal rules. For example, if a person has left the institution without permission - he can
no longer return. The fact that people could find themselves in a homeless situation even during
quarantine was also ignored. The hostel was unable to admit new people during quarantine, and
even a temporary accommodation service required a certificate confirming that the person doesn’t
have tuberculous, while polyclinics refused to admit people due to quarantine. As a result, homeless
people have not been able to access even temporary accommodation and became even more
vulnerable during the crisis.
29
Despite the fact that the solution of the problem of homelessness is a direct concern of
municipalities, it would still be appropriate to involve the Ministry of Social Security and Labour of
the Republic of Lithuania more actively in order to take proper care of the homeless in the presence
of Covid-19 virus. Clear guidelines, recommendations for municipalities that they could flexibly
adapt to the current situation - how to (re) structure existing services, as well as what new
temporary services to create - in order to create respectable conditions, so that people receiving
hostel services would not get the virus, and that all people in a homeless situation could exercise
their right to social security and housing.
The challenges of housing exclusion and growing homelessness need to be addressed through
integrated and sustainable solutions that include prevention and support8. It is important not to
confuse social policy in tackling homelessness with goals and measures to achieve them. Social
housing, hostels or other social services for the homeless are not goals in themselves. It is only a
means to reach the goal. The right to adequate housing, the prevention and reduction of
homelessness could be the goal of existing social policies, addressing homelessness in a real way.
“I am raising 6 children and cannot get a house because I am not working and I do not get
sufficient income. When will I get that social housing? After 3 years? After 10 years? 20? When I
needed to, I couldn’t get anything. I do not have access to social housing. I applied to the
municipality, but it’s the same as nothing.”
“The same situation is in any municipality. No matter how many children you have. You are three
hundred something in a que.”
People experiencing poverty
8 European Commission Social Protection Committee 2019 in the annual report
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PRINCIPLE 20 - ACCESS TO BASIC SERVICES
Everyone has the right to access essential services of good quality, including water, sanitation,
energy, transport, financial services and digital communications. Support for access to such
services shall be available for those in need.
Transportation, energy and digital communication - still just a goal?
When it comes to basic services, the challenges of transportation, energy poverty and digitalisation
are still a concern.
Lack of transport services is limiting the opportunities of the population
Transportation systems are still not well developed in the regions and are way behind the cities.
This problem is often relevant to the most vulnerable, lowest-income people, those who cannot
afford to buy a car on their own. Villagers point out that buses run only a few times a day and are
at best compatible only with children returning from school. During the children's summer holidays,
there are cases when buses reach the villages only a few times a week, so the lack of transportation
prevents work.
The same applies to the education of pre-school children - it is often unavailable precisely because
parents do not have the opportunity to take their children to pre-school institutions. Municipalities
often do not provide such services for pre-school children. Thus, both children and parents are
forced to stay at home. Old public transport vehicles are not adapted for the disabled and people
with special needs, parents with children. According to the data of the State Audit Office, only 35%
of public transport is adapted for people with disabilities.9
It is also important to mention that a single ticket system is still not widespread in Lithuania, which
could help individuals to purchase regular tickets at a lower price, while at the same time
purchasing and using tickets in towns or larger settlements.
Energy poverty
Many people still face energy poverty. This is the level of poverty at which individuals or households
are unable to heat their homes or use other energy services: it is difficult or impossible to ensure
adequate heating or other essential energy services, such as lighting, transport or electricity for the
Internet or other devices. Unfortunately, in 2019 even 26.8 percent of households could not afford
to heat their homes sufficiently, while 14 percent of individuals live in homes with dripping roofs,
damp walls, rotten windows, or floors. It is important to understand that living in such housing
9 https://www.vkontrole.lt/failas.aspx?id=4114
31
increases the risk of various diseases, and often, in order to save, individuals are forced to choose
between good-quality food, heat or health. On the other hand, energy poverty is also linked to
indebtedness, as low-income people face difficulties in paying their bills on time. With high
indebtedness, individuals are at risk of power outages and, in the worst case, evictions.
Digitization bypasses the elderly, the rural and the poor
The impact of technology on everyday life is evident: public services such as claiming various
benefits, issuing certificates, registering for the provision of services, counselling, and so on are
quickly moving into cyberspace.
However, technological progress doesn’t just open up new opportunities but also poses new
challenges. One of them - digital exclusion, which is mainly linked to the gap between individuals
and groups in society in terms of access to the Internet and the latest information technologies. It
is important to note that what is being evaluated is not only physical access to a computer, the
Internet or other technologies but also the possibilities and abilities of a person to use them. These
barriers are often inherent in lower-income earners, pushing them into even deeper exclusion.
Lithuania has long been proud to have the fastest internet both in Europe and around the world,
and public internet access is available to most people10. According to the survey data on the use of
information technologies in households, it can be observed that in 2019, 82% of households had
internet access, while 77% of people had personal computers at home. It is great that these
indicators are improving every year, but unfortunately, compared to the Baltic countries, Lithuania's
indicators are still among the lowest 13. Unfortunately, the indicators also show that obvious
difference between cities and regions remains in the city, 79% and 83% of households had
computers and Internet access at home, respectively, and in rural areas - 71 percent and 78
percent.
The digital divide is becoming a serious barrier to employment: the use of computers, the Internet
and other technologies are now commonplace in many workplaces. Without the Internet and the
computer, everyday tasks at work become hard to imagine. It is common for potential employees
to use basic computer software as well. Internet accessibility indicators, as well as the experience
of non-governmental organizations, reveal that there is a large digital divide between vulnerable
groups and the rest of society.
Consequences of COVID-19
During the quarantine, the digital divide really revealed itself. When the pandemic hit, it was
estimated that as many as 30,000 children did not have computers. And even when families were
provided with computers, some of them did not have Internet access. Often, children in large
10 https://www.speedtest.net/global-index
32
families had to share a single computer or even a telephone, so the children did not have a real
opportunity to get involved in the learning process. Children with fewer opportunities found
themselves in even greater exclusion. The same is true not only when it comes to children - the
poor, the elderly, rural residents who do not have the technical or digital skills, felt even more
socially isolated during the quarantine, as they had far fewer opportunities to work and
communicate remotely.
In the area of energy poverty, there is an increased risk of arrears of housing and utility bills,
especially among the poor.
The pandemic has severely worsened the daily lives of people who do not have their own cars. As
the flow of people heavily decreased during the quarantine, long-distance public transport
schedules began to change: some companies chose to partially suspend work, while others chose
not to provide services at all. Thus, people living in single-family homes or settlements without
supermarkets, pharmacies, or other facilities that are necessary for basic needs have faced
considerable challenges.
Lack of transport is worrying, especially fit for people with disabilities. There is a “social taxi”, but
it is just one. I can’t get it even once a month. The need is so big because people have to be
taken to dialysis. So you can’t just call it if you need some sort of entertainment.
Person experiencing poverty
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KEY CHANGES IN ATTEMPTS TO REDUCE POVERTY IN 2020
In 2020 the main changes are related to universal child benefit, pensions, the growth of minimum
wage and support for the most deprived.
Universal child benefit increased from 50 to 60 euros. The supplementary benefit for children from
low-income, large families or children with disabilities has been increased from 20 to 40 euros.
Free school meals have also been introduced for all (pre-schoolers) and first graders.
In, 2020 the minimum monthly gross wage increased from € 555 to € 607.
It is also planned that due to the indexation old-age and lost ability to work pensions will increase
by more than 9 percent in 2020 and will exceed wage growth for the first time. This year, the social
assistance pension base also increased from 132 to 140 euros.
The key changes in 2020 were made during the quarantine. Most of them focused on short-term
assistance during the crisis, such as sickness benefit for parents caring for young children,
subsidies during downtime, € 257 benefit for the self-employed.
Taking into consideration that only one-third of the unemployed registered with the Employment
Service are entitled to unemployment social insurance benefit, a temporary job seeker’s allowance
was introduced during the quarantine. In order to protect those who have lost their jobs from a
sudden drop or loss of income, a temporary job search allowance of € 200 has been introduced for
a maximum of 6 months until the end of 2020.
Long-term changes have been introduced in the minimum income system. The amount of benefits
has been increased: for a single person, the benefit has been increased by € 50 for the first half of
the year, and for a family of three by € 45. Benefits after employment have also been increased:
social benefits will continue to be paid at 100% for the first three months and 80 percent for the
next three months, 50 percent for six months. Compensation for heating costs has also been
increased. During the crisis, it was decided not to temporarily assess the assets when granting
support.
In terms of social housing, waiting times for social housing are shortened initially to 5, then to 3
years. If at the end of the term the municipality will not be able to provide social housing for an
individual or a family, then it will have to reimburse the actual rental price of suitable housing rented
on the market.
An allowance of EUR 200 was granted to the elderly, people with disabilities, widows and orphans.
One-off benefits were also provided for children: each child was paid 120 euros, and disadvantaged
families with 3 or more children, children with disabilities 200 euros. Lump sums formed a
significant part of the quarantine social impact reduction package, but LNAPN is determined that
this amount should have been used for more sustainable solutions: increasing the smallest
(benefit) pensions, ensuring continuity of services. Increasing social and monetary support for the
disadvantaged is a commendable step, but it is not enough.
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“There was definitely help for the business. And retired people also had help. Even if it was a
short measure it really helped someone.”
“Seniors, the people with disabilities got help. But it was just funny to me. I got it myself. But the
quality of my life hasn’t really improved.”
“There was support, yes, but isn’t that support related to the upcoming elections here? We [the
state] borrowed a lot of money, but won’t we have to pay higher taxes later to get the money
back?”
People experiencing poverty
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NETWORK PROPOSALS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR
REDUCING POVERTY AND SOCIAL EXCLUSION
An action plan to reduce poverty, social exclusion and income inequality based on social rights
The government's program must include an action plan to reduce poverty, social exclusion and
income inequality based on human (social) rights. The plan must set out clear but comprehensive
steps to strengthen the social protection of the citizens. The measures should respond to the
recommendations of international organizations and the conditions of ratified documents: to
ensure the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights, to achieve the Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs) and to follow the principles of the SDGs. To take into account EC,
OECD recommendations.
Country strategy documents, such as the National Progress Plan, must reflect a balance between
economic, social and environmental objectives and to ensure the sustainability of the achieved
results. According to the SDGs, poverty reduction must be a top priority. Municipalities must also
set the goal to themselves of reducing poverty and social exclusion by implementing social policy,
providing social services, coordinating the provision of social financial support, and organizing
employment increase programs.
We propose to improve the whole legislative process and to assess the social impact of the adopted
legislation when initiating legislative changes or introducing new programs and measures. When
making decisions, it is necessary to assess not only the need for finance but also the impact on the
main social indicators of the country: the at-risk-of-poverty rate, the absolute poverty rate, the
unemployment rate, etc. There is a need to strengthen the qualitative evaluation that needs to be
carried out with the involvement of experts and civil society organizations working in the field. It is
important to assess the compliance of legislation with national strategic and international
documents, such as the European Pillar of Social Rights and the Sustainable Development Goals. It
is essential that these steps are taken not only at the earliest possible stage of the legislation but
also throughout the decision-making process.
Collection of tax revenue and financing of social security
At present, the financing of Lithuanian social security from GDP is approximately two times lower
than the European Union average. The current system is unable to adequately fund social services,
and inadequate levels of social benefits do not protect the population from poverty. This is also
emphasized in the EC 2020 recommendations to Lithuania. It is argued that the country’s ability to
finance public goods and services and to reduce poverty and income inequality is limited by the
low progressiveness and redistributive capacity of the tax and benefit system.
It is necessary to increase redistribution in the country and ensure the increase of funding in the
social sphere, at the same time developing the financing of social services, the wages of employees
providing decent social services and improving the benefits system, ensuring minimum
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consumption needs. According to EC Commission and the OECD recommendations, it is essential
to promote inclusive growth: improving the benefits and tax system review of the tax system of
preferences, increasing tax progressivity in creating the design of the tax, which would not hurt
economic growth. This would reduce income inequality and raise more funds for the state
budget. These funds could be used for social purposes.
Reducing monetary poverty and strengthening the social protection of the citizens
According to the Ministry of Social Security and Labour, more than a third of the registered
unemployed people do not receive any income, including unemployment social insurance benefits
or social benefits. For many years, this problem has been unresolved and has become particularly
acute during the recent crisis. With rising unemployment, current social benefit systems fail to
protect the population from unexpected loss of income. It is necessary to strengthen the protection
of those who have lost their jobs by easing the conditions for receiving unemployment social
insurance benefits, extending their duration, as well as creating an additional safety net. Following
the end of the state-wide emergency, we propose the introduction of a permanent job search
benefit, which would be an intermediate link between the unemployment social insurance benefit
and the social benefit with a correspondingly determined amount of the benefit.
In order for one of the main measures to reduce poverty - social monetary support - to be a real
investment in a person, the system of monetary social support for deprived people needs to be
improved. The three main pillars of effective support need to be considered: adequacy, accessibility
and empowerment. In Lithuania, the social cash benefits reach half of the absolute poverty line
and one-third of the relative poverty line. It is necessary to ensure the adequacy of the amount of
the benefit by bringing it closer to the minimum consumption basket, to promote the employment
of beneficiaries by developing positive incentives, for example, not to reduce the support if the
person's salary together with the support does not exceed the minimum consumption basket. It is
necessary to reduce the barriers that do not allow people experiencing poverty to receive support:
to reduce the rigour of receiving support, to earn for support. In order for the beneficiaries to be
active in the society and return to the labour market, it is necessary to provide personalized and
comprehensive services that cover the same person’s general and professional skills and provide
external barriers elimination (for example, the services being cared for families, child care,
communication, deductions from work reduction of wages when a person is in arrears, etc.).
Ensure basic needs such as food and reduce scale wastage. At present, the law is the valid
provision that charity delivery of goods exempts from VAT as VAT, which, according to Charity and
Support Act can be compassionate provider, transmit or consume goods to charities and individual
charitable beneficiaries receive the taxable amount per calendar month no more than EUR
75. This size has not changed for more than 10 years, despite changes in MMA, state-sponsored
income, and other sizes. Therefore, we propose that this amount be indexed rather than presented
in absolute terms. This change is very important when people’s need for food per month is more
than € 75 and the law limits the ability to help the poor on a larger scale. We also believe that
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farmers’ products donated to charity and support should not be subject to VAT, which would
encourage farmers to share with the poor. Encourage companies that reduce food waste in the
production process or make publicly available data on controlled and consistent reductions in the
amount of food recovered and increases in the amount of food saved for human consumption.
Increase the income of the smallest pension recipients and raise the welfare pension base. In
Lithuania, the social assistance pension base reaches EUR 140 and is received by about 60
thousand orphans, children and adults with disabilities, people of retirement age who have not
acquired the necessary length of service to receive a social insurance pension. This amount is
about half the size of the minimum consumption needs. It is necessary to gradually bring this base
closer to the size of the minimum consumption needs. When increasing the social assistance
pension base, it is necessary to ensure a balance between social assistance pensions and social
insurance benefits, by raising the amounts of insurance benefits accordingly.
Reform of the social services system
In order to develop an inclusive and sustainable society, it is necessary to ensure enabling, high-
quality and accessible social services. There is a need to create a model for the provision of social
services that eliminates the exclusion of target groups and takes into account the needs of each
person when providing and financing services. Recipients of services and their relatives must be
involved in service planning: deciding on the scope, type, duration and provider of services. It is
mandatory to expand the network of social services and to increase the range and quality of the
services. This would avoid the monopolisation of services and allow other providers, such as NGOs,
to provide services.
It is also necessary to ensure proper communication between municipalities about the availability
of provided social services. Municipalities should be more proactive in identifying needs and
providing services. Encourage municipalities to organize public procurement and outsource part of
the provision of social services to them or other non-governmental organizations, and to increase
the involvement of local communities in the provision of social services, including home help
services.
The goal of social services is to empower people by helping them to solve their own problems and
challenges and to ensure human dignity but in reality, this goal has not been set, and the current
system of social services is based on a model of care for people with disabilities. Services have
become very limited in both scope and content: the aim is to provide assistance through social
care. Such a model does not guarantee people’s independence and runs counter to the very
direction of social services. Therefore, when reforming the service system, we recommend
individualizing services and directing them to ensure the independence of each individual,
regardless of where he or she lives, whether in the family, individually or in a care institution. Only
in this way is it possible to ensure equal opportunities.
It is necessary to ensure increased and more sustainable funding for children's day care centres,
which would provide child day care centres, a psychologist, quality employment and specialized
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support services. It is essential that children's day care centres have the opportunity to provide
services not only to children but also to parents in order to develop their social competences. It is
necessary to ensure the continuity of services for children leaving children's day care centres by
developing the activities of youth centres. In the field of youth policy, it is necessary to ensure the
development of housing by providing a wide range of services to young people. To develop
infrastructure and spaces adapted for youth leisure time when developing city plans.
In the field of long-term care, the development of integrated care is essential. There is a need
to create a unified and functioning system that defines integrated home care, covering both the
provision of social and health services. Initiate a simplified procedure for obtaining a license for
home care. This would make the process of organizing services accessible to a larger number of
service providers. In order to ensure transparency, register for services should be made open to
individuals and to their family members to monitor the number of services rendered.
In order to reduce social exclusion in a society, it is necessary to ensure that social services and
social support measures reach the most vulnerable members of society more precisely. Tackling
the homelessness as the deepest manifestation of poverty and social exclusion in society requires
a coordinated and integrated approach to the problem and its solutions. Social services, such as
job search assistance, counselling and other general social services, should not be seen as
essential tools in tackling homelessness but as an essential and an integral part of the solution to
adequate accommodation. To this end, it is necessary not only to expand the social housing fund,
improve the conditions for single people to receive housing rent compensation, but also to find
alternative accommodation that is suitable and accessible to homeless people with complex needs,
such as long-term homeless people with mental disorders, strong addiction, etc. In order to ensure
more efficient and more personalized services, it is appropriate to involve non-governmental
organizations as partners.
Reducing educational inequalities
In Lithuania, it is necessary to form an education system that would ensure quality, inclusive and
accessible education for all children and reduce the educational gap between disadvantaged
children and children growing up in more affluent families. To ensure that parents and children
living in poverty have equal opportunities in society, early (pre-school) education and care services
must be accessible to all. It is necessary to invest in the development of a network of such services,
ensuring their geographical coverage, adequate provision of infrastructure and qualified staff
resources and easy access to public transport. There is a need to establish financial mechanisms
to ensure the participation of young people in non-formal education programs, by prioritizing or
allocating separate funding to programs that directly develop key competencies and are run by
non-state education providers. It is important to develop youth employment by encouraging
participation in non-formal education programs. The working conditions of workers in the education
sector must be improved.
To ensure the access to the education for people with disabilities (people with disabilities and their
family members (guardians/parents)) by enabling parents/guardians to be relieved of their
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nursing/care responsibilities during their education. To ensure the accessibility of studies (in the
physical, informational sense) for people with disabilities, if necessary - to provide assistance.
In the field of adult education11, the government is planning adult learning measures for 2021-
2030. In the National Progress Plan, development programs and the DNA plan for the future of the
Lithuanian economy, the need for which was exacerbated by the consequences of the
pandemic. However, it is doubtful that individual measures without a holistic approach and
leadership will deliver the expected results, and a lifelong learning system needs to be developed
and implemented in a coordinated way to increase people's motivation to continuously learn,
improve and acquire new competencies. Ensure the dissemination of information on learning
opportunities tailored to different groups in society (providing information and advice to the
population, especially the lower-skilled and less motivated adults).
Create favourable learning conditions (according to the place, time, duration of learning) for all,
especially vulnerable and hard-to-reach groups (e.g. unskilled unemployed, economically inactive
population, people with low abilities). To update and individualize learning services (according to
the competencies being developed, training content, adaptation of training forms and methods)
according to the needs of employers and learners, to ensure the quality of these services and
compliance with national and international goals (Social Rights Pillar, Sustainable Development
and Green Deal goals).
Work closely with municipalities and the socio-economic partners to ensure that non-formal adult
education and related decisions are taken and implemented through joint efforts. Involve
municipalities and social partners in the planning and implementation of European Union-funded
adult education projects in order to meet the adult learning needs of the regions and ensure the
quality of NQF projects.
Carry out regular monitoring of LLPs, conduct regular studies on learning needs and impact, and
conduct surveys at national and local levels, implementing targeted interventions where
appropriate. The analysis of the research results would justify the targeted planning of NSD
activities and resources in the regions.
Ensuring the network of available public services and their quality
In the context of the European Union, Lithuania lags far behind in the availability of digital services,
stands out with high energy poverty, and lacks transport services. The pandemic has exacerbated
these problems, and not having enough resources and access to these services has pushed us
further into exclusion. There is a need to expand the availability of digital tools and services, to
develop digital skills, especially in rural areas and among the elderly. It is necessary to develop
transport services in order to increase employment and educational opportunities, as lack of
transport opportunities often becomes a cause of unemployment or exclusion from other services
11 Proposals were developed in collaboration with the Education NGO Network
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(such as pre-school education). To reduce energy poverty, comprehensive state aid is needed,
including education and counselling services for residents, renovation (modernization) of multi-
apartment and one-apartment buildings, and other energy efficiency programs. Energy poverty is a
complex problem; therefore, an inter-ministerial cooperation mechanism is needed to ensure the
application of the energy poverty measures provided for in the National Energy and Climate Action
Plan (NEEC) of the Republic of Lithuania.
Key recommendations during a pandemic
The following are recommendations that may be relevant to the growing number of COVID-19
infections in Lithuania.
Ensuring the income of the population
It is important to assess the impact of the quarantine social effect package on the first and to
ensure an adequate income for the population in the event of a second wave: to provide adequate
social protection in the event of loss of employment, benefits and subsidies on time.
Renewal of municipal social service plans
It is necessary to update the municipal social service plans to take into account the significantly
changed needs of the population during the quarantine. To date, there is no systematic information
on updating service plans after the first wave of the pandemic. Given the ever-changing situation,
it is necessary to update service plans, share good practices between municipalities, and the
Ministry of Social Security and Labour to monitor the updating of plans.
Continuity of social services
There is a lot of talk in society about the need to ensure the continuity of health services. Social
services, especially for the most vulnerable members of society, are equally important, therefore,
it is necessary to ensure the provision of social services, of course, by ensuring adequate protection
for workers and their clients and methodological assistance to social service staff.
Ensuring protection (measures)
Inform in good time about distance and safety recommendations. Ensure the availability of
safeguards in the trade so that organizations have a real chance to ensure security in the provision
of services.
Interinstitutional, interdepartmental cooperation
In view of the large flow of information and the frequent changes in the instructions and
recommendations of the Operations Chief, it is necessary to ensure smooth interinstitutional
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cooperation on the basis of methodological assistance rather than the principles of a directive.
Changes need to be clearly articulated so that service providers and organizations can respond
more quickly to new requirements and recommendations.
Taking this into account, some services in municipalities are provided by non-governmental
organizations, and they can react more quickly to certain situations, we recommend municipalities
to more proactively involve the NGO sector in pandemic management, exchange relevant
information, organize joint meetings.
Provision of telephone assistance
It was observed that the need for psychological and emotional assistance by telephone increased
significantly during the quarantine. In some organizations - up to 4 times. Additional funding is
needed for telephone helplines and services for people in difficulty. It is also necessary to ensure
the smooth operation of information on Covid-19 lines, which were also unable to answer all calls
during the quarantine.
Additional funding for the increased need for services in organizations
Organizations that had established contact with vulnerable groups prior to quarantine also
observed an increased need for customer service, particularly psychological assistance, during the
quarantine. It is important to make use of existing service networks and contacts with vulnerable
people and to provide additional funding for the services of organizations facing a significantly
increased workload.
Food and catering
Given that a large proportion of the population is experiencing poverty, as well as food insecurity,
which has become particularly apparent during quarantine, it is essential to prevent the planned
reduction in funding for the European Fund for the Most Deprived. On the contrary, increase the
funding for the fund.
During the pandemic, children who received free school meals were provided with rations of dry
food that did not replace the warm food they had received until then. It is necessary to ensure that
warm food is provided to children from disadvantaged families in the event of a recurrence of a
quarantine situation.
Expanding the circle of service recipients
During the quarantine, food, medicines and other essentials were delivered to the elderly or people
with disabilities, but in many cases, these people were already in the spotlight of the social services
system before the quarantine. It is important that services also reach people who are self-employed
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and have not received any social services so far, but additional precautions need to be taken as
the incidence of infection increases due to the higher risk of morbidity.
Debt monitoring and development of debt management services
The risk of arrears also increased during quarantine, especially with regard to arrears of housing
and utility bills. It is important to monitor arrears and record the situation in all municipalities
separately. Also, develop personalized services for indebted people.
Domestic violence
Social isolation has significantly increased the risk of domestic violence. More attention needs to
be paid to monitoring cases of domestic violence. Also, provide services to victims of violence and
consider alternative ways to call for help.
Burnout of social workers
During quarantine, significant overwork of social workers was observed due to increased demand
for services, tensions in implementing recommendations, and rapidly changing working
conditions. Social workers had to work overtime, and the workload of some workers had almost
doubled. In view of this, it is necessary to provide psychological and emotional assistance to social
workers, clear methodological support.
